PhannieMay 2019
by TacoPanda
Summary: Hi all! My contribution to the PhannieMay event. I won't be doing every prompt, they're all out of order, and these will all remain canon in my Percieved Parallels fic (unless said otherwise). You won't have to read my original fic to understand any of these, as they're meant to be standalone, but if the ideas interest you, check that Percieved Parallels out!
1. Secret

Danny had all kinds of secrets. He was used to it by now, he easily became comfortable with the lies falling from his lips day after day after day.

Okay, that _sounded_ bad. But it really was for the good of Amity, his friends, his family, _everyone, _pretty much. He had to make certain sacrifices to keep people safe. The fact was, he was okay with that. He understood those sacrifices.

Nope, those didn't bother him.

(Although he would still apologize profusely when his parents inevitably found out)

There were only two secrets he ever kept from his _friends_, however. After all, they had a right to know about most things. They were there when the accident happened, and as much as he didn't want to rope them into it, they were locked in with chains, and they won't have it any other way.

(Despite Danny's furious protesting)

(He had such _amazing _friends)

But there were two things he kept from them. Two things he avoided talking about.

The first one, was the exact nature of _how_ his anatomy worked.

In the times when he was working with Vlad on the side (they knew about that, but didn't approve) to help discern more halfa traits, he had learned more… unsettling things about their biology. He had a hunch. Blind, unscientific theories about how they worked, but Vlad, in his very _Vlad _way, quickly snuffed those out and replaced them with the truth.

Not that they the truth was very far off from his suspicions. He had assumed he still had his… he avoided calling it his _old _body, but it's not like there was an extra lying around somewhere, and he knew he didn't have a heartbeat anymore. He knew his blood was tainted with ectoplasm, and he knew it ran cold. He knew that he didn't have to breathe anymore, and sleeping was somewhat optional, to an extent. (If he was in a place that satisfied his obsession, or in a place with a lot of ambient ectoplasm, he could go into a trance to fast-track his rest.)

But yes, those were things that he could deduce on his own. Learning- _solidifying _the idea that he was basically possessing his own corpse? Let's just say that wasn't something that _he _needed to know, let alone his friends.

(It's a _symbiotic relationship_, Vlad had said. _Not possession._ Whatever. It didn't change the reality of the situation no matter how many eloquent words he weaved it in.)

But they, of course, figured that out eventually. A quick glance at the previously edited ghost files that contained details on Danny's anatomy had cleared that up. It was mentioned, by Sam and Tucker, briefly, and Danny had gone white as a sheet, a million _what if's _running through his mind.

_Will they still think I'm me?_

_Will they shy away from my touch?_

_What are the implications of something like this? What are the conclusions they'll draw?_

But after a brief reassurance session, they had convinced Danny that, no, they don't think of him any differently, and no, they aren't weirded out by it.

_It's not like you're rotting or anything dude, it's basically the same- except you feel really nice to hang around in the summer, so don't sweat it. Literally._

_Yeah Danny, you're still the same to us._

It was a load off his shoulders, it really was. At least, through all these crazy changes and developments, he always had his friends. They were his pillars of strength in these trying times.

But, the second secret? He couldn't bear to tell anyone, even Vlad, and it kind of pertained to him, too.

No, Dan was something he had to keep to himself. Wanted to keep to himself.

The thing about his biology, he couldn't help it. It was part of the accident. Not really his fault, just a consequence of a sequence of events that was, honestly, probably for the better in the end. (If his parents turned that thing on and there _wasn't _someone to stop the ghosts, where would we be now?)

Just another sacrifice.  
But Dan was something that Danny _chose_, albeit in an alternate timeline and with a variety of… _conditions _met, it was something that he played a part in, willingly. He knew it wasn't all him, part of it was Vlad, but he had already resolved that neither him or Vlad, and neither of their respective ghostly sides, were by _default_ evil just by being a ghost. Vlad was an ass because Vlad chose to be an ass, but his schemes never meant to end in someone getting seriously injured. He was self-serving, not a monster.  
Which is why it was baffling that, when Danny and Vlad's ghostly sides _mixed,_ it got Dan. The being who was destined to destroy worlds, the being who _tried _to destroy _multiple_ worlds, even outside of his own timeline. His entire _existence _was purely maleficent, and as much as it pained him to say it, he knew that Dan- or part of Dan- existed inside of him, somehow. Clearly, his personality took prevalence over Vlad's in the fusion, and it even seemed like he only took Vlad over to fuse their cores, to gain power- not to merge their personalities.

And based on the windows of that timeline's past that Clockwork had (reluctantly) showed him, it was _his _side that wanted to fuse. _His _side that overshadowed Vlad's. _His _side that tried to wipe out both human Vlad and human Danny. (And succeeded in one.)

Vlad was the victim, there.

So, the conclusion?

It really was Danny.

And he can't ever shake off the feeling that Dan is a constant potential, no matter how good he thinks he is.

After the whole time traveling thing with Clockwork and the Infinimap, Danny actually got more curious about the more scientific theories behind jumping into the past and future. And while Clockwork is the Master of Time, he would only tell Danny so much. After a while, you just ended up getting in this loop with him about 'If I tell you, it could disrupt the timeline". So, he did his own research.

The most troubling thing he found, however, was a theory about time being concrete, set in stone, unchangeable. The theory is called the "Novikov self-consistency principle", and it helps solve the paradoxes caused by 'killing your own grandfather'.

The answer? You _can't _kill him, you fail, or the events you cause to attempt to kill him end up guiding him to marry your grandmother and have children. (So technically, if you _didn't_ go back in time, you would have never been born because he would have never married your grandmother.) This theory goes by a bunch of names, a causal loop, a predestination paradox, a self-fulfilling prophesy, etc. Danny lost count of what it could all be called, but the principle was locked in his mind.

Essentially, without Clockwork's guidance (and a few other stray threads) this would have been the case. Danny would have cheated on the C.A.T., which would make him _believe _that his friends and family died (when in reality, it was Dan that killed them) and then he would go on to live with Vlad and the events in the alternate timeline would take place. Dan _would have been _inevitable.

Now, that _should have been_ fixed by Clockwork. After all, Dan exists outside of time now, and Clockwork stresses that 'the damage has been repaired', although any questions about a possible evil still residing inside him are left with only cryptic answers, nothing solidifying or rejecting that dystopian future simply happening at a later date. And based on the way he acted- avoiding his gaze, shifting his cloak, the slight hesitation before his answers...

It _really _didn't help Danny's skeptical view of the situation. He was convinced Clockwork was hiding something.

He doesn't suppose that he should be surprised. As much as the ancient spectre was fond of Danny, he still had a job to uphold. Maintaining the timeline came first, ultimately. If that ended up in a negative outcome for Danny, then his ghostly hands would be tied.

That didn't make him feel much better, however. 'The good of the timeline' could mean anything. It could mean the end of this world to plant the seeds for the next. It could mean the untimely deaths of everyone he loved. And, call him selfish, but he'd fight against _that_ future until his last breath.

Well, metaphorically.

Would that be the evil inside of him? Was he willing to prevent the birth of a new, better world for the sake of his own obsessive priorities? Could the power go to his head and turn him into the 'inevitable' Dan Phantom? He was already growing fangs and displaying more ghostly traits. Could he just… _snap_, after being pushed too far towards the edge? Go on a destructive rampage? Be possessed?

There were many sleepless nights had that pondered these very questions. There were endless possibilities.

And still, no answers.

The best he could do is trust himself, really. And you know, now that he thinks about it, it's not like that's much different than what he does every other day.

So, he'll keep this secret to himself. As long as it takes.

After all, whatever's to come?

It's… inevitable.


	2. Graves

Graves

Danny half-heartedly chases an ectopus through the trees, annoyed and exhausted after a particularly rough day of ghost-fighting. He wasn't badly injured or anything, just… _really _freaking tired.

"Come on you little-"

The ghost flies up a tree, becoming intangible a little too late, causing leaves to fly. Danny zones in, knowing that little moment would be enough to slow it down and-

He grabs the ectopus by one of its tentacles and stops in midair, swiftly uncapping the thermos with one hand and shoving the tail of the creature in. It screams as it's engulfed in a bright beam, and after the dust has settled, the thermos beeps signaling it's at capacity.

Danny sighs, a long and drawn out thing, and finally takes note of where ghost fighting's brought him tonight. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long to get home, he really wanted to get at least a few hours of sleep in before school tomorrow.

He took some time to fly high above the treeline, searching for either Amity Park's business district or the distinctive glow of Fentonworks and the Ops Center, but before he could get high enough in the air, he felt a pull. A beckoning.

Oh. He knew where he was.

He floats there, contemplating what he should do for a moment before shrugging and letting the distinctive attraction guide him.

He arrives at the gates of Amity's cemetery, alighting onto the gravel pathway and walking through the main gate. (He didn't know why, but it felt disrespectful to fly over the walls. Whether that was a ghostly instinct or his human respect for the dead, he couldn't tell.)

Once passing through, he lifts off of the ground only a few inches to avoid touching the ground above the graves. (Another respect thing he wasn't sure of its origin.) He carefully reads each one, peacefully taking note of the ages each soul crossed over from the world of the living to the land of the dead. Most of these people probably weren't in the Zone.

Honestly, you'd think a cemetery would be packed with stray ectoblobs and minor ghosts, especially with the way it naturally drew Danny in, but the place was desolate. Quiet. Left behind.

That was probably a good thing. Although it did make him wonder _why _he was drawn here if it wasn't a typical ghost thing.

He floats up to sit on the mausoleum in the center of the grounds, looking over the entire cemetery. He kind of feels like a guardian, sitting up here.

A guardian of what? He carefully reminds himself that there isn't anything here.

As much as he enjoys spending time in the cemetery, as much as he feels rested after some quiet meditation, a sense of unease still hangs over the grounds like a fog. And Danny has to consciously avoid certain topics to not fall into a feeling of existential dread.

After all, where do you go if you _don_'_t _go to the zone?

(Don't think about it)

He's reminded of the conversation he had with Vlad not too long ago, when questions of their unique existence were commonplace.

"What happens when we die? Our bodies, I mean." He'd asked. They'd just finished a conversation about how their cells are powered by ectoplasmic energy. It was a logical jump.

"Likely? We won't. Not naturally, at least." Vlad replied. "Just as the ghosts in the Ghost Zone can live forever, since _we're _powered by an endless supply of ectoplasm, we can likely do the same. I don't even believe that our bodies will break down. They're under a rather stable synergy with the ectoplasm flowing from our core. I haven't detected any cell deterioration yet, not even how a human's would naturally as they grow older."

"So…" Danny says "We're… immortal?"

"As far as I can tell, yes." He pulls a few images up onto the monitors in his lab. "Although you shouldn't think we're special because of it. Almost any ghost in the Ghost Zone is in some way, eternal."

Danny thought about that long after he left Vlad's lab, and still thinks about it periodically today. Knowing that you'll outlive your friends? Watch them die, become forgotten, pass on?

He could see himself coming to peace with that eventually, but for a 16-year-old kid?

Not so much.

So those thoughts are what invades his mind as the sun slowly rises above the horizon. Danny's eyes adjust to the light as he snaps out of his focus, sighing as he pulls out his phone to check the time.

Gods, he had to be at school in 15 minutes. _And_ he's already in a bad mood. This is going to be a long day.

Well, at least he was rested.


	3. Compromise

Compromise

Danny followed the roar of the motorcycle engine with a scowl on his face, the slight ghostly echo it had giving his irritation that extra oomph. It was a Saturday morning, almost 6am, and for _some _reason, Johnny was riding around and causing mayhem like it was still Friday night.

He didn't really mind when the biker came to visit, but the screams and property damage sustained thus far has passed the threshold of 'tolerable' for Danny.

So now, time for Johnny to go home.

Danny hovers far above him, watching him prop his bike up in front of a run-down diner on the outskirts of Amity. It wasn't unusual for ghosts to crave human food, and Johnny usually had some amount of cash on him (where he got _that_, Danny wasn't sure) so instead of flying in as Phantom and kicking him out in the literal sense, he makes his way to the back of the building and transforms back into human form.

"Might as well get some breakfast while I'm here." He mumbles. "Johnny better have good taste in restaurants."

Danny walks through the front entrance with tired eyes and scans the place, finding Johnny sitting in a corner booth on the far end of the dining area. The rest of the patrons give a cursory glance at the door chime, but quickly go back to their own conversations upon seeing an unfamiliar face.

"Hey there kid, how you doin'?"

Danny's eyes shift to the short-statured woman in front of him. She wipes her hands on her olive-green apron and pushes back the incredibly curly hair that's managed to evade her headband.

Danny smiles at her, although the woman looked to be almost 60 years old, her manicured nails, bright auburn hair, and warm smile made her seem much younger than she appeared. "You want to sit at the bar? Or would you like a table?"

"I have a friend here, do you mind if I go sit at his table?" Danny nods to Johnny in the back, and the woman stands on her toes to see over the privacy walls of the other booths.

"No problem hun! Doesn't seem like he's been helped yet, so I'll send a waitress yer' way." She reaches beneath the cashier's counter to pull out two big, beat up menus. She briefly runs a rag over them before handing them over. "Meanwhile, you can take a look at what we got. Special today is corn beef hash."

Danny takes the menus and nods a thanks, swerving between tables and people to get over to Johnny. For how early it was, it was surprisingly busy.

The biker perks up once he finally notices Danny's ghostly presence, smiling as the ghost boy makes his way to the table.

"Hey sweets, never seen you working here. New in town?"

"Ha ha." Danny deadpans, taking the seat across from him and handing Johnny a menu. "No, I'm just making sure you're not destroying _another _billboard."

Johnny cringes for a second. "_Oooh. _You saw that?"

Danny rolls his eyes. "Well, when your best friend has access to the city's security footage, word gets around." He pauses, opening the menu. "What are you doing here, anyway? These guys got good pancakes?"

Johnny nods, leaning back in the booth and taking a look around. "Nah- well, yeah, the food is good. Trucker diners have some of the best food in the country, but I mostly come here to talk to the cute waitress when Kitty's got me down. Cheers me up, you know?"

Danny raises an eyebrow. "You mean the wrinkly lady at the front? I'm pretty sure she's older than my mom, if that's who you're talking about."

Johnny points a finger at Danny before opening his own menu. "_Hey_, don't shit-talk Deanne. But, no, there's another one. Pretty sure the place only _has _three waitresses." He rests his chin in his hand and runs his eyes across the dining room. "Think she's in the back or taking an order on the other half of the place, the big one's taking a smoke break."

Danny looks around the room again, taking note of the number of customers. It seemed like way too many for 3 waitresses to handle, but he's not an expert. He sees Deanne tending to the bar patrons, laughing with them.

"So, you're not going to destroy this place with your _pet_?" He asks.

"_No._" He stresses, and rolls his eyes. "Shadow's out by the bike. The only people he's going to bother are the kids that like to tip over all the rides in the front, but hey, the little shits deserve it anyways."

His eyes glance over to the kitchen door, where a brunette emerges holding 5 plates of food.

"And that's her. Only pretty girl in the place."

Danny tears his eyes from his menu to observe the waitress Johnny mentioned. A young brunette (she had to only be about Danny's age, 16 or 17) with mid-length, wavy hair, her bangs pulled back onto the top of her head in a small clip, smiles at the customers as she hands them their food. She looks around the rest of the dining room, taking note of any patrons she hasn't attended to yet, including Danny and Johnny. She smiles and waves at them before heading over to take the order of an older couple that came in before them.

"Alright, she's noticed us."

"Are you sure she likes to be bothered when she's working like this? And, man, she's like my age. Isn't that a little creepy?"

Johnny scoffs. "First of all, I died when I was 21, I'm not that old. Second of all, I've got Kitty. I'm not looking to snag her, I just like chatting with this one." He shrugs. "I give her a good tip, so she probably doesn't mind it."

Danny raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh huh, just like how you _talk_ to all those girls I find on your bike."

"They only get on my bike if they're 18, man."

"Um, Jazz was 17?"

"That was to get Kitty back! Special circumstances."

"Whatever. Just _please _don't kidnap this girl. Do you even know her name?"

"Good morning Johnny!" The two ghosts jump as the young waitress steps beside them, looking rather flustered. "Sorry about the wait, can I get your drink orders quick?"

Johnny smiles at her. "No problem sugar. I'll just have a black coffee."

Danny flips the pages of the menu, searching for the drink section (to no avail). "Uhh… a Pepsi?"

"Um, we have Coke, is that okay?" She scribbles down Johnny's order.

"Yeah, sorry. Coke is fine!"

The waitress nods and wanders off to get their drinks, and Danny gives Johnny a look.

"Sugar? Do you have a pet name for all of your _interests?_"

"What? It's like, a term of endearment or... whatever. And I told you, she's not an _interest. _I know you won't understand since you're still a kid who doesn't have any sort of girlfriend, but-"

"Yeah, well at least I don't have a girlfriend that kicks me out of my own place."

"You little-"

"Okay! One Coke and one black coffee." The waitress returns with their drinks and sets them in front of them. "You boys ready to order?"

They both nod and go about getting their food, Johnny's aggressive demeanor flipping like a switch. While they're ordering, Danny decides to take a closer look at this girl. Dark brown hair, average height, tan skin. Her cheeks are dusted in enough pink that he can tell she's wearing makeup, but not enough to be impractical or distracting. She wears a regular grey t-shirt tucked into her apron, large, round, wire glasses, and a pair of dark blue jeans and Converse. Her smile while she works _seems_ genuine, but the bags under her eyes that are all too similar to his and Valerie's tell Danny she probably works many a long night.

She seemed to be… not really Johnny's type. Almost exactly opposite to Kitty, anyway.

The contrast of her singsong laugh paired with Johnny's rough cackle pulls Danny out of his thoughts.

"Lori's on break, so I can't chat _right_ now, but once she gets back I can take mine and pop over for a sec, is that okay?"

"Sure, sure, sugar, we'll be here. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do."

She nods and smiles wider, already walking off. "Thanks! I'll put your order in, then."

Danny and Johnny watch as she walks away before reaching for their drinks.

"Speaking of Kitty, " He takes a sip of his Coke. "What'd you do this time? As far as I can tell, you've been here since at least yesterday. Usually you'd be back in the Zone by now."

Johnny leans back in the booth, taking a long drink of his coffee. "Man, I dunno. Honestly, I didn't do anything this time. She's been acting real weird, hanging around with Spectra and the other girls. I'm just gonna… give her some space, I guess. Let her cool off."

Danny _really _didn't buy the 'I didn't do anything' bit, but he figured if Johnny didn't know, there wasn't much he was going to be able to get out of him.

"Well, I can't have you causing more mayhem, so I'd still prefer it if you went back. Do you honestly think your shadow will be able to survive another day without causing more damage?"

"Listen, kid, I know you don't get it because you've never had a fling before, but when a girl needs her space, she needs her space." Johnny raises his hands up and shrugs. "So I ain't going back there until I hear that Kitty's all good."

"So," Danny points his paper straw across the table. "Instead of talking to your girlfriend like an _adult_, you're going to flirt with random girls over here." He pops his straw back into his drink, stirring it and rolling his eyes. "Great advice, I'll take note of it."

They bicker for a while longer while they wait for their food, Danny doing his best to get Johnny to head _back _to the Zone after breakfast and Johnny doing his best to tell Danny to mind his own business. It only stops once the waitress returns carrying a large plate of pancakes and something in what looks like a black cast iron pan.

"Alright, a cocoa short stack and an All American skillet with a side of hashbrowns." She carefully sets the plates down on the table. "You guys need any ketchup or extra syrup?"

"You mind getting me a cup of applesauce, sugar?" Johnny asks. The waitress rolls her eyes.

"I keep telling you that's for potato pancakes, Johnny. But _yes_ you can." She points at Danny. "Just don't give your friend any ideas that this is normal around here."

She looks at Danny and briefly goes wide-eyed. "Oh, and I'm sorry, I don't think I've introduced myself due to how busy this place is." She places a hand on her chest. "My name's Rose. Useful to know if you want to let Dee know how great of a waitress I am." She winks, and Danny laughs.

"I'm Danny. I was um, in the area and I saw Johnny's bike, so I came in for some breakfast."

A bell from the kitchen rings, and Rose turns to leave.

"I'll snatch my break as soon as I can, in the meantime, enjoy the meal!"

They both say their thanks and begin to dig in, Danny being pretty surprised about how decent the food really was. Maybe he'd have to give small joints like this a better chance more often.

They eat in silence, enjoying the food enough to relax and slip into a people-watching trance. Both of them could clearly hear every conversation going on in the place, so they lazily eavesdropped on the other diners (which mostly consisted of scruffy truck drivers or older folk).

Another benefit to eating at small places like this, he didn't have to worry about anyone recognizing him as 'the Fenton kid'.

Danny pulls the melted paper straw out of his drink and puts it on his napkin, leaning back to pause a moment during his meal and think of ways he can convince Johnny to just scram. He takes a long drink of his Coke and hears the door chimes ring, turning to the side to see a tall, portly woman walk in. Sporting a green apron around her waist like the other two waitresses, he assumes that this is the Lori that's been mentioned previously.

Rose comes out of the kitchen holding a plate and chats with Lori for a second, handing her order pad over. She points to the back table where Johnny and Danny sit, and then weaves through the tables to reach them. Both Johnny and Danny slide down the booth some to give her space, the older of which flashing a quick scowl to the younger.

Rose voices her thanks, choosing to sit next to Danny, which definitely_ doesn't_ cause the ghost boy to smirk across the table. Johnny strains a smile anyways.

"Ugh, finally got that break. Lori should be able to handle the rest of the early-bird rush before the after-church crowd comes in." She piles her eggs on top of her toast and takes a large bite.

"Well, at least you'll get hella tips." Johnny laughs.

She nods, laughing some, before taking a glance at Danny beside her. She swallows and points between the two of them.

"So, how do you two know each other? No offence, but you don't really look like you'd hang around much."

Danny looks at Johnny, unsure of what to say, not wanting to mess up whatever he's told the girl previously. (Why is he covering for him?)

Johnny grabs the glass bottle of ketchup and smacks it on its side over the rest of his meal. "We work together in town. Known each other for about two years now, we get along well enough, _I guess_."

Danny suppresses a scoff, but notices the girl's eyes scrutinize him. He shrinks a tad under her gaze.

"Well…" she turns back to her food. "I'm glad you can have someone to eat with. The girls sometimes pity you for sitting alone, you know."

Danny releases a steady breath, happy that she fell for the lie, or at least didn't try to pry. Johnny laughs loud enough to disturb the whole diner, causing the other ghost to jump.

"They don't gotta pity me for nothin', sugar. Who comes to breakfast to socialize?" He shakes his head. "I come for good food and some time to myself. I'll go to a party if I gotta spend time with friends."

Rose giggles. "You know, some people think it's embarrassing to eat alone."

Johnny rolls his eyes. "Those people just don't have the confidence." He holds his arms out to his sides. "Look at me, I _glow _confidence."

She nods, salting her food. "Yeah yeah, you totally do. It's _blinding._" She nudges Danny and snickers. "I can't believe you have to deal with him on a daily basis. I _barely _can and he only stops by once a week or so."

The banter continues, it's mostly Rose and Johnny talking throughout the rest of their meal while Danny occasionally cuts in with a snarky comment. They talk about recent developments, she talks about school, the news, and jobs, and Johnny talks about his 'friends' and places he's visited recently.

"Gosh Johnny, you're pretty lucky to be able to take your bike and go _literally _anywhere. Just… wow." Rose looks off listfully. "One day I'll be able to get out of this shi- um... _place, _and go wherever I feel like. I might have to ask you for advice on getting a bike." She pauses, thinking, and smirks. "Although something a little more… sleek."

"Oh? Sugar's getting herself a ride? Looks like I _have _managed to rub off on you." Johnny leans forward with a sly grin.

She waves him off dismissively, pushing up her glasses. "_Nothing_ like your archaic hunk. I was thinking of a cheaper Kawasaki or Suzuki I can spruce up a bit. Something small with good handling, easy to maintain."

"Hey, my bike may not be the _popular_ thing these days, but she's reliable."

"Well, there's something to be said for consistency, I'll give you that."

She looks off through the dining room and sighs. Danny can feel… _something_ emanating from her, some lonely, forlorn emotion. He looks to Johnny, and… he can't tell if the other ghost was able to feel it across the table, but he's probably picked up on something.

His eyes look back down onto the table.

"Sorry boys, I better head to the kitchen to help do dishes." She stands from the booth and pulls their receipt out of her apron pocket, setting it in front of them face-down. She picks up the ghosts' finished plates. "I'll… see you later, Johnny. And you," she looks at Danny and smiles, but it doesn't seem to reach her eyes. "Don't be a stranger, alright? This place can always use more friendly faces."

Johnny nods and waves her off. "See ya, sugar." He says quietly.

As they both quietly make to leave, the younger picks up the receipt and checks its total. Johnny puts a $10 on the table, and although the tip's almost 50% of their total, Danny leaves it be, covering the meal and taking a moment to say goodbye to Deanne.

When they get outside, Johnny immediately heads for his bike, and Danny can see the small stretch of shadow that meets him a few feet closer than it should.

"So," Danny says, "you come here every week? To see that girl?"

Johnny nods, and, sensing more questions from the younger ghost, he sighs. "More like twice a week, maybe three times depending how I feel." He looks through the windows of the diner, at his notable lack of a reflection.

(Danny realizes that the booth they were sitting in was one without a window)

"Hey, kid, you mind letting me stay a little longer? We can head someplace quiet and chat, cause I can tell you've got questions."

Danny hesitates, looking at his shoes. "You don't have to tell me, you know."

"Yeah, well…" he shrugs. "It'll get you off my back, and… it's good to talk sometimes." He throws a leg over his bike, scratching at his head. "At least, that's what your sister always told me."

Danny considers this, because _yes_, he was curious, and he was also concerned about his relationship to this girl. He trusted Johnny, but only to an extent. He's still the guy that basically kidnapped his sister.

And hey, if getting information helped Johnny? A bonus.

"I'll follow you." He says.

TTTTTTTTT

Johnny parks his bike at the edge of a long gravel road within a thick patch of forest, a human Danny becoming visible next to him only a few seconds later.

"Glad you can keep up, kid."

Danny laughs. "I've chased down your bike enough to be used to it." A pause. "I- um, saw you send shadow off."

Johnny nods, leaning against his bike. "Told him to go back to the zone, see how Kitty's feeling. He won't cause any trouble."

"Ah."

Danny stands beside the bike silently, hearing the gravel crunch beneath his shoes. Gods, it's only 7am and he's already met his quota of awkward silences for the next _week_.

Johnny huffs, clearly irritated. "Well?"

"Uh, really? You just want me to… fire away?" He rubs the back of his neck.

"Wasn't that the _whole point? _It's gonna bug both of us if we don't say something, dweeb."

"Well then why don't _you _explain?"

"I-" Johnny stutters, breaking eye contact. He crosses his arms and leans back against his bike. "It's easier to have you ask."

_Damn childish-_ "Fine. Let me…" Danny sighs, pausing to think.

_Alright, screw it._

"What's your relationship to that girl? _Exactly_. No lies."

He hears Johnny suck in a quick breath, and then exhale, long and drawn out.

"You're not going to believe it."

"I'm literally half dead. Try me."

He looks Danny dead in the eyes. "She's- she's my daughter."

_She's… what?_

"You're gonna have to run that by me again buddy, and with more detail."

Johnny sighs and kicks some gravel. "I don't know… that much. I didn't remember anything when I died. All I knew is I had my bike, and I was in the Zone."

Danny nods. "That's- that's how most ghosts form, which explains my confusion. Nobody really remembers their life."

"Yeah well, I just had this… crazy strong _need _to go back. I knew I had lost something, it was just a matter of finding it. Eventually, I got out of the Zone through a natural portal and got drawn back to where I died. A short enough amount of time has passed that there were still flowers on the bridge, along with a barely readable note with a name of one of my old friends. Pretended to be human, a disguise, a little bit of digging, and I figured out my name, my family, my life, everything I lost."

"But…" He hesitates. "but I didn't actually _remember _it. That was the worst part."

Danny looked perplexed. "You blended in _that _well so early?" It took him _months _to get any semblance of how his powers worked, and he was a half-ghost (well, he had a human 'shell' to hide behind, point is, it should have been easier for him). His ghost half was practically leaking out of him through any crack it could find, and Johnny could do it just… out of the blue?

Johnny shrugs. "Think it was part of my… obsession or something. Wanted my old life back, so I got the powers to do it." He holds out his hand and pulses his aura from nothing to almost blinding, before dimming it to a dull haze.

"I-" Even after the explanation, Danny was still confused. "But wouldn't she _recognize _you? Or, or wouldn't that be a big risk of her mom, who I assume knew you, to find out?"

Johnny shakes his head. "I died when she was pretty little, and her mother, I think her name was Jeanette, apparently kicked the bucket right before I found them. Sugar was in the system in Chicago, then."

Danny slightly questions the callousness towards the girl's mom, but doesn't voice it. "So… you've been watching over her?"

He nods again. "Basically, but I can't usually stay for long, melting and all that. I managed to pull a few strings in the background to get her moved to a foster home closer to my natural portals, but I didn't directly speak to her or anything. Just made sure she was alright." Johnny looks towards Danny, raising up his hands in defense again. "I didn't hurt them or anything, just overshadowed them to change some paperwork."

Danny waves him off, he didn't really care about that. He'd be a hypocrite, since he hangs out with Vlad who's done… _much _worse, he assumes. "But now you talk to her? At the diner?"

"Ahh- yeah…" he scratches his head. "I… just really wanted to talk to her, and I knew she was having a bad time. She was a little hell-raiser as a kid, got that from me, so she bounced around some pretty shitty homes for a while." He chuckles. "She's... Okay now, and a good kid overall. Just needs… someone to talk to and some help, sometimes."

Danny looks at Johnny with a face subtlety contorted in a mixture of fading confusion, sadness, and understanding. He worries his bottom lip silently, trying to take note of the hope, the fondness in his voice. Focus on the positive.

But it was all too easy to sympathize. Feeling lost, feeling disconnected from your family, alone, confused, wishing, just _wishing _for a chance to go back, take it all back.

Return to normal.

Except, Danny _could _go back. Have a semblance of normal. He didn't have to hover over his family to figure out if they were okay, he didn't have to hide, pretend he was a stranger just to _talk _with them. Didn't have to watch years of their lives fly by without him. Sometimes it felt that way, yeah, but Johnny…

Johnny lived it.

Johnny's rough voice cuts through the noise in Danny's brain- was he getting choked up?

"Thanks for letting me stay, kid. It… helps. Getting to see her."

He absentmindedly wonders if Johnny can detect the mishmash of emotions rolling off Danny's shoulders. He was half human, it wouldn't be far-fetched for the other ghost to be able to feel them.

Danny rolls his eyes, but wears a warm smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Kind of a… necessary compromise. You know I don't care if you hang out as long as I don't have to clean up your messes, and you'd throw a fit if I sucked you into a thermos."

Johnny laughs, and it's relieving. The strain in his voice is lifted. "Man, can you blame me? That thing sucks and you know it."

They lean against the bike, laughing.

It was… kind of nice, to spend time with someone like this. Someone that you had a mutual understanding with.

"Are you…" Danny hesitates. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asks, barely above a whisper. He looks up at him.

He sees Johnny's lips turn up in a small smile.

"I have been, and I will be." He sighs. "This is enough, for me."

A pause.

"More than enough." He corrects himself.


	4. Second Gen

A/N: I wanted to touch on why Vlad and Danny are somewhat closer to each other in my other fic than they are in the show. There are references that something caused this, and Sam and Tucker aren't the most supportive of their newfound alliance, so I figured it's probably something I can touch on in here. And it fits the prompt! In terms of a timeline, this is a good number of months after anything involving Dani, but shortly before the events in Perceived Parallels. You won't need to have read that fic to understand this one!

Second-gen

It started with something small, something Danny could have easily missed if he weren't paying such a close eye on his parents during the fight.

He was worried about them for a number of reasons. First, his mom had just recently injured herself while practicing forms in the backyard. It wasn't anything too intense, just a sprained ankle, from a quick slip in the mud, but it was enough to keep Danny's eyes flicking over to her every so often.

Second, it was Undergrowth. Undergrowth is a particularly hard ghost for Danny to fight, (along with Nocturn) since they attack the citizens of Amity _directly._ It causes his obsession to flare up and hover over his friends and family... um, _obsessively._ This caused him to keep an even _closer_ eye on his parents. He couldn't go 5 seconds without checking if they were alright, despite their capabilities to defend themselves.

Luckily this time, there was the benefit of having both Danny's ice powers and Valerie on the human's side. Unluckily, some ghostly, glowing shield was preventing Danny's chill from rendering Undergrowth to permafrost, not to mention he got there_ late._ (Thanks to an increasingly perceptive Lancer. Once the ghost alarms went off, he had his hand on Danny's shoulder faster than he could throw out one of his novella-turned-expletives)

So, by the time Danny did get to the fight, his parents were tired and struggling, Valerie sported a number of gashes through her suit, and Vlad had even shown up and exhausted a good chunk of energy, based on how often his clones were popping. Undergrowth was, in a sense, winning.

Soon, the fight was nearing its climax. With Danny there, both sides were evenly matched, both sides were at the point where a small tip in their favor could lead to an overwhelming snowball effect towards the end of the fight, and both sides were determined. Valerie was doing a good job of getting citizens out of the damned pods, his parents were doing a good job of _preventing_ the citizens from getting re-captured by the pods, Danny was focusing on pushing his ice down into the root system, and Vlad (willing to help out for his own agendas) was fighting off Undergrowth directly. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, according to the panicked shouting that occasionally crackled through the Fenton Phones, were cut off from ground zero due to their inability to fly over the vines covering the area, so at least they were, marginally, safe. One less thing to focus on, good.

Either way, Danny was doing his best to keep close to his parents (who've, thankfully, regarded Phantom as the lesser threat for now) while still pushing his frost through the root system. For a while, the ice didn't take, and Danny was going to forgo that plan and join Vlad until a glistening sheen of ice began to form where Danny was blasting.

"Plasmius, I'm getting through!" His eyes shone blue as he pushed, pumping more and more energy into his ice core.

Undergrowth hissed and shifted his roots so that a new one was facing Danny, likely to heal the previous one. The ghost boy followed the injury nonetheless, knowing that he couldn't let this chance slip. He didn't even think twice about it, now that his focus was on something else.

That left his parents open for an attack.

Looking back, it likely wasn't anything that would have turned the battle in any particular way. Undergrowth had managed to snake a smaller vine over to where his parents were fighting. Danny watched it slowly rise and shoot a barrage of almost minuscule spikes over at the two ghost hunters. He yelled something that was unfortunately inaudible over the sounds of battle.

Jack, having noticed the vine a mere second before Maddie, jumped over to her and clutched her in her arms. He closed his eyes and braced himself, preparing for the onslaught of needles to hit his back.

He never felt them.

Jack turned around, noticing the vine rendered to a black char smeared across the pavement. He looked around, confused for a second, before shrugging and re-engaging in the fight at hand.

What Jack wasn't able to see, Danny did.

Vlad had protected them, throwing a clone into the path of the thorns and blasting it simultaneously. The clone didn't take much damage before turning to dust, but it acted as a long-range shield. Danny's eyes flicked up to Vlad, who cringed once the clone was rendered to a cloud of dust, likely being able to feel it's pain.

Now _that_ was something to take note of.

The rest of the battle went along with few difficulties. Danny was able to punch his ice through part of the root system, and Vlad was able to distract and harass Undergrowth enough to allow the humans to take advantage of his weakened state. While it wasn't a clean fight, (and one that Vlad would be complaining about for the next week due to the sheer amount of damage the town had sustained) it was over, and the citywide lockdown was lifted within the next hour. Valerie and the Fentons removed everyone from their pods, and Phantom and Plasmius vanished without a trace. Danny got a long night's sleep, and due to the vine clean-up, schools were canceled the next day, giving him a long time to mull over Vlad's behavior.

_It wasn't even my mom he was protecting, it was my __**dad**__._

Danny paces around his room restlessly, thinking to himself silently.

_There has to be an ulterior motive. He's plotting something, and it requires him, or he was afraid to lose the fight to Undergrowth. Losing my parents might've given him the chance to overpower us… but…_

_God, it's dumb this is bugging me this much. I should just take it as a win and forget about it._

Danny grunts in frustration, flopping onto his bed dramatically. He drapes the back of his hands over his eyes.

_I want to trust him. I really do. Being up an ally and down an enemy would be nothing but positive. I might actually get some sleep for once, I wouldn't have to keep looking over my shoulder, and although it sucks to admit, Vlad knows a __**lot**__ about halfas and ghosts and everything of that nature. _

He uncovers his eyes and stares at his ceiling, tossing ideas and thoughts around in his head and chewing the inside of his cheek.

Then, he transforms, phasing through his window and flying over to the mayor's mansion.

TTTTTTTT

An unpleasant tingling forms in the back of Vlad's head which he's come to know as his less-accurate version of Danny's ghost sense. He turns around, wiping his wet hands on a towel, and sighs.

"Come on out, no use lingering in the shadows when I know you're there."

"You do your own dishes?" Danny materializes on the other side of the kitchen island, crossing his legs in midair.

Vlad rolls his eyes, masking his surprise at Danny's appearance with feigned irritation. "Occasionally, when my employees are away. I'm not going to sit here helpless if I want a cup of tea."

The younger blinks, watching Vlad pick up a small mug and head for the kettle.

_I wonder how I ask him this without him skirting around the question._

"Daniel." Vlad asks, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something you need? I can't imagine you'd be here for idle conversation." He fills the kettle up with water from the sink.

"Vlad." He chews the inside of his cheek again, then stares ahead at his back standing at the sink. "Why did you protect my dad?"

The older halfa pauses, and although Danny can't see his face, he can imagine it's contemplative. "I have to say I have no idea what you mean, little badger." He says mechanically.

Danny sighs, raising his voice above Vlad's. "Cut the crap Plasmius, I saw you throw your clone in front of the thorns, and I saw my dad protect my mom, so don't use her as an excuse. You protected him, and I want to know if you're scheming something."

"The only thing I was _scheming_," and he pointedly shoots a glare towards Danny here, "was the demise of that destructive plant beast. Undergrowth, or whatever he chooses to call himself this era." He sets the kettle down on it's electric receiver, flipping it on and turning around to face Danny with his arms crossed. "If your father managed to render himself useless, he wouldn't even be a distraction."

"Oh c'mon _Vlad_, you know those needles wouldn't have done any real damage, and they weren't doing anything particularly useful by being down there either. Tell me the real reason."

Vlad shrugs, avoiding Danny's glare. "I'm sorry Daniel, but I've already told you my truth. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you." He waves him off. "If assuming that I have some hidden fondness for your father helps you sleep at night, then so be it. It doesn't affect me in any way."

Danny glowers at the man, clearly not happy to accept that as an answer. "Fine, then I'll just have to keep an even _closer_ eye on you than I do usually. Whatever you're planning, I'll catch onto it before you can finish."

Vlad pinches the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, Daniel, you're acting even more like a child than usual. Not every smidgen of my behavior is directly correlated to some ulterior motive. I'd have hoped by this point that you've gathered that."

Danny barks a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You've almost killed people, you brought a child into this world only to abandon her, you've repeatedly attempted to rip my family apart, you've tortured me, you've attacked my friends, and made my teenage life in _general _a living hell. Just... _not attacking me _for a few months isn't going to fix any suspicions I have against you." He gestures around, still floating in the kitchen. "_If _you _can_ even fixthat. I doubt it. You don't care. You just want me as some… messed up henchman. It's not happening, Vlad."

Vlad's face shows a small pang of hurt before readjusting to his neutral state. He looks at the ground in a way so _uncharacteristically Vlad_. He hesitates.

In a much more quiet voice than he's used to, he speaks. "I knew some of my choices have been… less than stellar, but I can assure you that those mistakes are in the past-"

Danny scoffs, interrupting. "As if, _Plasmius_," he spits the name like venom. "I'm not going to fall for that again." He gradually gets more and more worked up, old pains resurfacing after months of suppression. "You've- you're… you only care about your own interests, I think the whole _clone fiasco_ proved that."

"Little badger, I'm trying to say that-"

"No, you know what? I never got to get this out, Plasmius. So you're going to listen." Danny could feel his blood chilling, cool energy swirling behind his irises. "I was willing to look past a lot of the things you did because I… Thought that you could be better, I try to see the good in everyone, but that was just _messed up_, you know?"

"_Daniel_-"

"And I literally _never _know when you're on my side, or the enemy's. Are you helping me find Undergrowth so you can protect Amity, or did you _bring him here _to capture him and, I dunno, absorb his power, or something? I have no clue-"

_"I WAS NEVER AGAINST YOU, DANIEL!"_

Danny pauses with a flinch, backing away from the outburst. His eyes snap to Vlad's red irises, and then wrinkle in confusion. They sit there for a moment, staring at each other and feeling the emotions, anger, sadness, guilt, fear, swirl around them, with the only sound echoing through the room the whistling kettle on the counter.

The electric kettle automatically clicks off, quieting to a light boil as their eyes move away from each other. Vlad sighs.

"I always wanted what I believed to be the best for you, from the beginning." He leans back against the counter. "I thought- no, _knew_ I could be a better father and mentor to you than your bumbling oaf. I thought I could make you and your mother happier, thought that our shared biology would make us the ultimate team, and I thought-"

His mouth clicks shut, before hesitantly resuming.

"I thought I could make you be better than me."

Danny relaxes, watching the man's downcast eyes and tightened jaw.

"Then… why did you-"

"I was bitter, my dear boy. Bitter and frustrated. I still am, very much so." He begins to relax as well, letting all of these weights off his shoulders with his speech. "I did many things that were misguided with a 'means to an end' philosophy about me, and it was… wrong of me. I've only recently begun to realize this, but it began with your little 'cousin'. That was the point when I realized I couldn't have you, or Maddie, as a family.

"So, I decided to make one. But I… didn't want my own. I still wanted you, and her. I wanted to steal a home instead of build one. Copy one, buy one."

He sighs. "It's all the same. It was, at least."

Danny thinks this over for a little bit, scrutinizing the details and, no doubt, searching for lies. But he couldn't find any inconsistencies.

Because it was the truth.

He takes a look into Vlad's eyes, and as much as the older man wants to tear them away, he doesn't. He meets Danny's toxic green gaze and pushes forward with as much sincerity that his old, bitter heart can muster.

"I realized… after your 'cousin' happened." He continues "I saw how you looked at me, I realized the grave mistake I made, and I ran from it. I thought about what I did, _really _thought about my actions for once in my long life, and… decided to change. See if I could change. I thought about Jack, about Maddie, about you…"

He holds his breath for a moment. "I resolved myself to be someone that can _earn _your trust, rather than _take _it from you. So yes, I protected your father, because I knew that you would be devastated if he got injured."

Danny stares up at the man. At some point in the conversation, he had left the air to stand on the ground, and although Vlad was still over a foot taller than him, he sees his nervous fidgets, the uncomfortable eye contact, the foreign feeling of being honest causing him to feel unfamiliar to Danny. If he was lying, he'd be far, _far_ more composed.

Danny narrows his eyes at the older ghost. He was still angry, could still feel the energy pooled within him, but it was stagnant, calm. "You should be doing it because you want to protect _him_, not because of me." The words were said with conviction, but not distaste.

Vlad turns around to click the kettle back on, the steam from its top long since cooled. "Years of bitterness can only be sweetened so fast, little badger."

Danny sits behind Vlad, staring at the ground, thinking, _really _thinking about what Vlad had said. He desperately wants to believe him, to believe he can change. Having someone in this world that understands what he's going through is something he _craves_ so, so much. To be able to discuss their physiology, to learn from him, to have a _real _ally that's not trying to kill him or has some other ulterior motive. It's been a tempting offer in the past on many occasions, but he can't help but shake the feeling that despite how sincere he's being, Vlad is trying to use him for his twisted game.

Old habits die hard, he supposes.

"I'm sorry, my dear boy."

His eyes snap up. Did Vlad just… _apologize_?

"What?" Danny so intelligently asks.

Vlad turns around with a steaming mug in his hand, looking at Danny with hard, determined eyes.

"I'm sorry. My obsession for your mother, against your father, and towards you caused me to do things that were… less than scrupulous. It caused you a lot of pain and hardship and ruined any chance of becoming trusted by you, which is what I regret most. I'll do anything in my power to get that back, even if that means saving someone who, for the past 30 years, I've seen as my enemy."

Danny looks down at his feet, thinking over the response. Vlad _apologized_. And it was _sincere_ (as far as he could tell). Really, Danny didn't know what to say. Then, the thing about his dad. He did save him, and he said 'someone who_ I've seen _as an enemy.' Past tense. He could be reading into it, but the implication would be that he doesn't have those feelings towards him anymore. At least not as strong.

He glances up at Vlad, who's patiently waiting for his response. He'd have to ask his mom, but he was pretty sure Vlad hasn't apologized at any point in his life. He didn't really think he was being manipulative, not anymore. Although, that could just end up being wishful thinking. Dangerous wishful thinking.

"You could… still be lying." Danny whispers.

Vlad scoffs. Back to normal, then. "Of course I _could be_, but I'm _not_." Vlad stops after this sentence, seeming to think something over. "But if you choose not to believe me, I'll simply prove it with my actions. I fully intend to earn your trust, little badger." He sighs, sets down the mug, and pulls another out from his cabinet.

He turns to look at Danny, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "I can't imagine tea is to your liking, but I have some delicious Mexican hot chocolate I can make, if you're interested."

Danny looks at the mug, and then up at Vlad. He frowns, but his face softens after a moment of contemplation.

"Do you… have any marshmallows?"

After all, what type of hero would he be if he didn't help a bitter old man change for the better?


End file.
